100 Days of Creativity: Day 75

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Woot! Day 75! I can’t believe I have been able to keep this up for 75 days! Although my goal is 100 days of making at least one piece of jewelry a day I certainly wouldn’t mind stopping here…especially considering all that I have going on right now. But I will keep plugging away as long as I can. Today I was still inspired by the sun, so I made this cheerful sterling and fossil beaded anklet. I still had a bit of time left so I pulled together a cute pair of dalmatian jasper and fossil bead earrings. Simple, yes. Affordable, yes. I have built a reputation on good quality, affordable jewelry, so although this may seem like boring old bead stringing I think it is a must to offer. Sure there are many other aspects of artisan jewelry I would like to delve into but time & economy are against me right now. So I will stick to what I know and what I am good at. 🙂 As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke… 😉

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I love the versatility and affordability of fossil beads. Cut & dyed limestone in many cheerful colours. I prefer it over fiber optic glass actually. Cheerful yet earthy. Happy Saturday. I hope it has been sunny where you are…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 74

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Happy Spring everyone! It was a gloriously sunny day here today. Hard to not feel optimistic on a day like today. My offering for today’s creativity, was purely aesthetic. I wish I had some spiritual reason for pairing these stones together, but it was totally just because I liked how they looked. This bracelet contains hematite donuts, dalmatian jasper and lemon agate:

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The dalmatian jasper is fun huh? Reminds me of so many things…ice cream with cookie bits? Jersey cows?  Hee hee…It’s believed to have gotten its name because the spots resemble those from the dog of the same name.

Off to start my Friday night! Tomorrow is another milestone…day 75! 25 days to go. It has been a rewarding & fun journey…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 73

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I am in such a good mood today – spring is definitely in the air!  So nice to know the equinox is tomorrow!  Today I was distracted by the sun, but was able to complete a custom order with hematite and moonstone, list it, sell it and ship it off. After that there was only time for yet another simple pair of earrings, so out came the turquoise again. The stone faired well for my mood yesterday, so I figured I’d keep that going today. I was hesitant about this one because it is featuring small turquoise chips; the average size is 3.5mm, and some are flatter than that. But I am really happy with the results. I’d definitely wear them and I don’t make anything I wouldn’t wear myself. 🙂

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Because chips are affordable, these are listed at only $12 – and as always, free shipping. There is still sun shining thanks to daylight savings time so I am going to enjoy before dinner.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 72

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I finally am starting to feel like myself again. I think a lot of contemplation and some nice weather really helped. I only had time to make one pair of earrings today. Turquoise is such a spiritual stone I wanted to use it in a piece today; but with limited time it had to be something simple:

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These are turquoise nuggets on 30mm sterling silver hoops. Turquoise is said to be balancing; connects us with all life; is generally healing; helps us attain honest communication; increase serenity; give us meditation energy, positive thinking, protection, sensitivity, strength, and wisdom. All things, I so needed today. I feel like I am getting there…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 71

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Today was a fairly easy design day as I simply finished up the last two pieces in the garnet & pearls series. I think I needed the break, anyway. I’m feeling a bit unmotivated as I deal with some emotions stemming from my mother’s death a few months ago. Strange how those things come up at different times. So today, I put the finishing touches on a pair of earrings to match the necklace & bracelet I made yesterday, as well as a pearl cuff bracelet accented in the 4mm faceted garnet:

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Even after all that – I still have some of these garnet beads left! The smaller sized beads are definitely deceiving. 🙂

100 Days of Creativity: Day 70

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When I started to think this morning about what would be my inspiration for today’s creations, I decided to take direction from my destash pile of beads. I have these 4mm faceted garnet beads to use up. One of those, I needed some for a creation awhile back & over bought…sooo…thinking about it, I didn’t want to make the same garnet pieces I made back in January for a birthstone theme, I really wanted to pair these up with something more light. Since we are heading into wedding & formal season,  I decided to pair them up with some freshwater pearls. This is two of four pieces that I started. These two, a bracelet and necklace, are finished & I’ll complete the other two tomorrow:

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Interesting info: garnet is the birthstone for the month of Janurary and also the planetary stone for those born under the sign of Scorpio. Pearls are the birthstone for the month of June & also the planetary stone for those born under the sign of Cancer.

Till tomorrow…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 69

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Today was mookaite day. I felt the need to add a couple more affordable pieces to my Artfire Studio, and mookaite came to mind. This bead stands really well on its own therefore I thought it was the appropriate choice for these pieces. Mookaite (also spelled moukaite) is a form of jasper native to Australia. Stone variance from a reddish brown, tan and cream colored.

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You can see by comparing the first and second pair of earrings, there really is a neat variance to the colour of the stone. Truly one of my favourites to work with. As far as lore goes, mookaite is believed to aid in in embracing new circumstances, acts as an emotional protector, encourages the desire for variety & new experiences, enhances decision making & helps us when dealing with negative situations. Indeed, a fascinating stone.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 68

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Wow day 68! I will be so proud when I make it to Day 75 of this! I was in a bit of a funk today…I am not100% sure why. I don’t feel tired as in, I need sleep tired, just slow. I think I need to cut out the bread products for awhile and detox out the gluten. That would help. I also had such a negative experience with a potential new supplier yesterday. I really hate being a hard ass, but business is business, you know? I think I really need to start critiquing online businesses. One thing that’s great about buying from Etsy is that there is feedback. Doing a google search & finding these online stores really is buy at your own risk at times. I was also thinking I really need to thank all the suppliers I have, big & small for the great service they offer. How often do we let people know when they are doing something right & that we appreciate it? Okay, mental note to self to do this…

Back to today’s creation. Today when I woke up, the sun had this haze coming over the horizon that reminded me of the summer. I was also up early unable to sleep due to a bit of back pain so it really felt like I was on a trip getting ready to start a day of exploration. So the piece I was inspired to make, is entirely in white and accented in silver. I love white & silver toegther. So clean & fresh, like a summer blouse or a white washed house against clear blue skies on a tropical isalnd…ahhhh…are you feeling me or what?

Here’s the bracelet, done entirely in fiber optic cat’s eye & accented in lead-free pewter & sterling silver:

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With that, I must start my Saturday night. DD is in front of me, singing me a song & dancing. Must go enjoy the simple things in life that makes us smile… 🙂

100 Days of Creativity: Day 67

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So, the sun today really had me thinking of summer. As the snow slowly melts I was looking at our back deck thinking about sitting out there soaking up some sun. We bough DD (almost 18 months) a wooden playhouse yesterday. Can’t wait to put it together. That energy really made me migrate to the colourful beads. Anything turquoise/aqua & white really makes me think hot weather. So this is my contribution to my Artfire Studio for today:

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All fiber optic cat’s eye accented in sterling silver. Makes me want to go sip lemonade in the shade or a pina colada on the beach!

I need not say it is Friday night & I so do not want to be working…so I say so long farewell for now…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 66

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Thank you daylight savings time…I didn’t think I would be able to post my thing for today since I was out. I didn’t get anything created all day. But, I was able to put together these simple & affordable earrings at 5pm right before supper. Thanks to the extended daylight, I even got photos.

I put these earrings in my Etsy Shop & not my Artfire Studio as I had another sale today dipping my inventory below 100. I wanted to add a couple more affordable pieces, & these chip bead hoops seem to be quite popular:

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The first pair are snowflake obsidian chips. The second is crazy lace agate…I always loved the name of that stone. 🙂 Affordable at $12 & free shipping. In this economy, I can see why simple & affordable would be attractive to customers.

Hopefully I will be home tomorrow as I would like to make something a bit more intricate. But, since I can’t sit for very long comfortably I’m not sure I can swing that anyway…

Storing Your Jewelry

It is inevitable that we must clean our jewelry from time to time, especially sterling silver jewelry, which will tarnish over time. The exposure to air, moisture, our own body oils, perfumes, lotions & makeup will eventually dull a piece regardless of what it is made out of. There are a few ways I recommend for storing your jewelry in order to slow down the tarnishing process.

I recommend wiping all pieces down with a soft cloth to remove any residual oils, lotions or makeup. Also store your jewelry separate so they do not react with metals from other pieces. One of the most effective ways for storage, although not very attractive, is to store them in a small zip lock bag. This will cut down on the air & moisture exposure & slow down tarnish. It may not be as pretty as storing them in a jewelry pouch, but there is the added plus of being able to see the piece through the bag. I store all my jewelry for sale in small plastic baggies with an anti-tarnish strip (more on these shortly) arranged in large binders. I can easily see the piece I am looking for to get it ready for shipping quickly.

When you buy a piece from me, I supply a small cloth pouch & an anti-tarnish strip. The strip helps absorb moisture that contributes to tarnishing. Wiping the pieces down with a soft cloth & storing in the pouch with the strip works well for slowing down tarnish & protecting the piece. You can purchase anti-tarnish strips widely on the internet from bead shops, auction sites and direct from the manufacturer.

Jewelry with gold-filled components will not tarnish as sterling silver will, so keeping them safely tucked away in a jewelry pouch or zip lock bag giving them a gentle wipe down with a soft cloth now & again will probably do the trick.

CARING FOR PEARLS
Jewelry containing pearls should have a little extra attention taken to them. Pearls are the most fragile of gemstones, being that they are made up of porous organic material, and tend to absorb foreign materials easily. It is recommended that you store your pearls separate from other jewelry, although I always recommend you store your jewelry separated. Pearls prefer to be stored in a cloth bag/jewelry pouch. Make sure you put on your pearls after you have applied any makeup, lotions, perfumes, or hair spray/products. If your pearls come in contact with any food, wipe clean with a moistened soft cloth immediately. Avoid chlorinated water.

It is also recommended to wipe pearls after wear to remove any residue with a soft jeweler’s cloth. Do not use commercial cleaners or ultrasonic cleaners, soaps/detergents, or steam cleaning.

I have cleaned my own personal pieces containing pearls with the baking soda/salt method mentioned under Simple & Effective Jewelry Cleaners, just omitting the detergent, and being sure to use distilled water and not tap water (which may contain chlorine). The results were fine: clean silver, and the pearls were left undamaged. I wouldn’t recommend this on your high-end pearl pieces, though. Definitely try at your own risk.

It seems the best way to clean your pearl jewelry is to invest in a small jewelry cloth. I will be eventaully offering these for sale on my website.

Proper storage of your jewelry will mean less cleaning time for you & more time for you to enjoy your pieces.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 65

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I had a really, really good day today. I could get used to this leisurely living. Only, looking at the toilet & the pile of laundry I realize I have to do a bit of housework tomorrow. The other good thing, is this extended daytime means I was still able to make a piece today for my 100 Days of Creativity & photograph it since I made it right before dinner! I sold another pair of earrings today so I listed this bracelet in my Etsy Shop since I want to try & keep 100 listings there if possible:

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Made completely out of coffee brown fiber optic cat’s eye beads & accented in lead free pewter bead caps. There is also sterling silver daisy spacers. I strung it on a heavy guage sterling silver wire: 20 gauge to be exact. I wanted it to be very solid & it is just that! It reminds me of a bangle in some ways. It’s 7.5 inches, & since it is quite solid, would look fab on a smaller wrist too hanging lower like a bangle…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 64

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I took the day to relax. My body was so tired & the hormones were making me feel kind of weepy. This is the first day I have felt any kind of altered state hormonally & I guess I am allowed at almost 38 weeks. So it was a nice day just hanging out with my 17 month old & sneaking in a couple pieces of jewelry. It’s hard to just lay around for me…esp. considering that’s all I will be doing for 6 weeks after this baby is born. Sit and nurse. Sleep when baby sleeps…I look forward to it and yet I don’t want to get bored with sitting around ahead of time…thank goodness for supportive husbands!

So this is what I came up with today. Again, simple pieces but I like how they turned out as they had my signature funky style:

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This bracelet has 25mm shell beads & caramel mother-of-pearl. I added these sterling silver coil spacers to give it a bit of funkiness.

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I took these wood beads & made a necklace that can be worn longer on the chain or as a choker. The wood beads are on a thick gauge wire so that they stay in this “U” shape regardless if worn long or choker style.

I continue to amaze myself because I can honestly say at this moment I am fresh outof ideas…then tomorrow comes & something just comes to me…let’s see if I can still keep that going tomorrow…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 63

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Today I struggled to get motivated. Definitely my body is slowing down…but I did get a couple of bracelets made. Really, I am starting to amaze myself that I can keep going, but I just can’t sit around & wait, you know? 🙂

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This cuff bracelet captures my earthy side! 10mm moonstone beads need nothing but themselves to make a bold statement.

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I am really happy how this turned out. Very soft. This bracelet contains violet pearls & moonstone chips. Maybe I should be wearing it, since moonstone is supposed to bring on easy birth! This piece is the birthstone, planetary stone & mystical stone for those born under the sign of Cancer or in the month of June.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 62

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Finally! A beautiful day! Felt like spring & the sun came out…a great way to start daylight savings time. Only, it doesn’t make me motivated to stay in and make jewelry. I did however, get 4 pairs of earrings made. Simple designs, mind you. I always feel unfulfilled when I just make simple pairs of earrings. Then today I had a sale in my Etsy Shop of a similar style…so I guess that’s all the confirmation I need that it’s well worth doing! 🙂

It was the day of the hoop earring. I made these gold-filled hoops with a cloisonné bead theme:

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Then these chip bead sterling silver hoops featuring turritella agate & red tiger’s eye:

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I’d love to get my hands on more turritella agate. I love the beautiful pattern of the stone. Anyway, I have a terrible crick in my neck so I have to keep it short & sweet tonight…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 61

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I am totally finding it hard to concentrate tonight! Sloooooow like molasses I am. But it is Saturday night so I am excused. On an up note, I had a very productive jewelry making day. Played around with sterling silver chain to make some more delicate classy jewelry that seems to be so popular; at least from my customers…

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I am annoyed with this weather. Garnet is really hard to photograph since it is a dark stone, and with it being cloudy so much it makes it even tougher. I am too lazy & too pregnant to dig the light box out of the garage. I wanted the first thing I made today to be an anklet as I already had in my Artfire Studio a necklace, bracelet, earrings & ring. I also thought of making a headpiece but that is just too much work, therefore too much sitting for me right now. So I am keeping with simple. I just had a handful of these 3mm garnet beads left. Nice to make more room in the bead box…

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This necklace was inspired by the 13mm Swarovski crystal rings. A supplier of mine had these and I thought I would get two to play around with them, maybe use them in earrings. Only, once I got them home, I had no inspiration as to what to do with them! So they sat in the bead box for 3 years. I think they make a great focal point for this hematite & sterling silver chain necklace.

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These last two pieces, are my favourites of today. I adore black & white, and the black carnelian beads with freshwater pearls in these matching earrings & necklace are elegant, classy & sassy!  Yep, still milking those 10mm black carnelian beads. 😉

Simple & Effective Jewelry Cleaning

(NOTE: I originally wrote this post in 2009 based on my personal experience with my own jewelry and experimenting with jewelry cleaning. At present, new, engraved sterling silver items are hand polished as needed and wiped clean with a soft cloth before shipping. These are not the steps taken for new items you purchase from me).

Living in a virtually chemical free home myself, it became necessary to seek out ways to clean my jewelry without using chemicals. Here are some of the methods I use to keep my pieces sparkling…

STERLING SILVER CLEANERS

These methods are perfect for your jewelry which contains sterling silver components. The bonus is you don’t have to worry about them damaging your stones!

First method:

In a glass bowl, cover the bottom with a piece of aluminium foil, shiny side up. Place 2-3 inches of boiling water in the bowl (distilled water is preferred, but I have used boiled tap water as well and haven’t noticed any difference). To this add 1 teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of baking soda, & a squirt of dishwashing liquid. You’ll notice the mixture begin to fizz. Add your silver pieces, making sure the water covers them completely & that they are touching the aluminium foil. I find swirling the pieces around gently helps loosen any dirt. If you do this be sure to use a wooden or plastic utensil. The foil will absorb the tarnish from your silver jewelry. There may be a bit of a sulphur smell as you do this, which is okay. After a couple of minutes, remove, rinse with cold water & dry thoroughly. Buff with a soft cloth. An aluminium pie plate will work in replace of the foil as well.

Second Method:
Plain old white toothpaste! Do not use gels. To clean off tarnish, gently rub a small amount of white toothpaste on the silver, and then run it under warm water. Work it into a lather and rinse. An old toothbrush will help get it into all the crevices. This provides minimal cleaning. I still prefer the first method to this one. I do keep a tube of white Crest toothpaste around if I need to clean pieces quickly that only need a quick clean to become shiny again. Be sure to pat dry your pieces thoroughly before putting them away.

Third Method:

This is my least favourite method but it’s great if you just want to give your piece a little shine & only have a mild residue to remove. Place a tiny drop of baby oil on a disposable baby wipe. Be sure to use a VERY small amount, or it just becomes an oily mess. This method works on gold as well.

USING A JEWELER’S CLOTH

Of course, the best tried & true (and time consuming) way to keep your silver or gold jewelry sparkling is to use a rouge cloth, also known as a silver cloth or jeweler’s cloth. I do offer these as an add-on purchase to pieces, and they are very handy to have. I always recommend finishing your cleaning job with a jeweler’s cloth as it will give the silver or gold a bright shine & slow down the tarnish.

GOLD-FILLED CLEANERS

Gold-filled jewelry reacts much like its more expensive gold counterparts as the gold is bonded with another alloy throughout rather than just being electroplated to the outside like gold plate is. Therefore, it is considered a life-time product, as it has the same durability & characteristics of solid gold. You can expect to clean it much like sterling silver, so I find that the cleaning suggestions that I have listed for sterling silver work just as well on gold-filled components.

A NOTE ABOUT THESE CLEANING TIPS

Although these are tried & true methods, many jeweler’s would never recommend such products as baking soda & toothpaste as they can leave microscopic scratches on the metal. I have even heard jewelers go as far to say never use chemical dips or silver polishes either, and that the only tried & true way to polish your beloved metal is with a jeweler’s cloth. I can tell you from my own experience, that I have never noticed any scratches from doing these methods myself, and I certainly don’t have the time to sit and polish every piece by hand every time.

If you have a piece of jewelry that you have spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on, or if you are unsure because your piece contains a delicate component such as pearls, it’s best to err on the side of caution and have a professional do the cleaning for you.

Careful storage of your jewelry will equal less time cleaning it. In a future post I will write about storing your jewelry…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 60

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I could have made more jewelry today while this piece was in the tumbler but it was so dark I figured it wouldn’t be worth it since I couldn’t get a decent shot anyway. I started this one last night & finished it this morning:

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It was hard to get a decent shot but it truly a fun, funky ring. It contains a 10x14mm faceted quartz bead wrapped in 20 guage sterling silver wire. I make these rings on a whim for fun so I don’t pay much attention to size. This one turned out to be quite small even for my fingers; size 4. According to a fellow jewelry maker, size 7 is the most common size for rings. Ooops. I have a size 5 ring finger myself. But, it’s made & hopefully it will appeal to someone with small fingers who has a hard time finding rings to fit. Great for a teen, as well.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 59

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I felt compelled today to use up my sea green quartz beads today. Tada:

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The necklace uses up these pretty faceted quartz beads in varying hues of green. They measure 10x14mm. Accented with 4mm green quartz beads. These are not naturally occuring colours; these are dyed, but oh so pretty.

With the leftover 4mm beads, I decided to make a cuff bracelet. These paler green colours go really well with silver; so I paired them up with 3mm corrugated sterling silver beads.

I’m not exactly sure how I got these two pieces done today; sitting is a bit of a challenge right now! All I can say is a thoroughly enjoy doing it… 🙂 You can take a closer look at these pieces in my Artfire Studio.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 58

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I am so impressed I actualy made a piece of jewelry today. Seriously…it feels like there is a bowling ball wedged in my pelvis! Sitting for long periods of time is definitely not going to happen so I put togther these cute & yummy earrings this morning:

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I so want summer to come…can you tell with these colours? ‘So cheery & bright & yummy looking. 🙂

Anyway…I must get up or change positions or something…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 57

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Well, I did it. By the skin of my teeth I did it…I now have 100 things in my Etsy Shop for sale. I am really tired & brain dead…it is hard to focus after being kept up last night with contractions. I will continue tomorrow with my 100 days provided that I feel up to doing it. Tonight I am just finding it hard to concentrate…

So here’s what rounded out the items available in my shop:

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I’ve been doing a lot with the black carnelian beads lately, & really wanted to play with typical carnelian. So I cheated & dipped into the “premium” supplies, which I usually only use for custom orders, to make this pretty bracelet. Carnelian is the traditional birthstone for August.  These 6mm faceted beads are accented by sterling silver.

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This bracelet was the challenge for the day: how to use up these 7mm lantern hematite beads. I paired it with 6mm tiger’s eye for a very earthy piece.

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I figure you can’t go wrong with pearls. These 9mm freshwater pearls are very special to me since they are from the Philippines. A classy yet interesting pair of earrings mixing the dangle style with the hoop style.

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For my final piece, I couldn’t help but get into those 10mm faceted black carnelian beads again. I really like how these earrings turned out coupled with the 7mm pewter beads. Tempting to keep for myself… 🙂

So, if it turns out I can keep up with the 100 Days of creativity, I will be putting any new work in my empty Artfire Studio. Don’t worry, regardless you’ll still be hearing from me…!

100 Days of Creativity: Day 56

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I am happy to report that I was able to make another 3 pieces today…bringing me pretty close to my goal of 100 pieces in my Etsy Shop. Here’s what I came up with:

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I only had a handful of these pretty jade beads left, & they are very special to me as they were purchased during a trip to India a good friend of mine took. So I came up with this bracelet, and then a matching pair of earrings with the final last two beads. These 9mm beads are really pretty, I hope these pieces go to a loving home. 🙂 Jade is also the mystical stone for those born in the month of March so it was very appropriate to make these pieces & list them this month.

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The third piece, a bracelet, is comprised of 10mm denim fossil beads. I love these beads as they are a blue/black mottled colour that really do live up to their name. I wanted to make a versatile piece as usual, that will go with many outfits. I already had a pair of earrings listed, so a matching bracelet seemed like a natural choice.

I can;t wait for tomorrow & see if I can break the 100 item mark in my Etsy Shop! 🙂

100 Days of Creativity: Day 55

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Today I really wanted to work on something slightly more challenging than earrings. I am getting rather sick of making earrings. Well, that is harsh. More like, feeling uninspired to make earrings now. So I decided today was all about the cuff:

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This hematite cuff was hard to photograph. In fact, I would like to try & get more shots of it if there is time & adequate lighting in the next few days. It is has such a nice, shiny lustre however that makes it hard to get a good photo without glare/blur. This angle seemed to come out okay. When I started out to make this piece, I really saw it as a earthy, wear it to dress up your jeans type of piece. But it really is shiny & bold, I think it would make a statement with whatever you wore it with…

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These two are very similar, using the same materials. This was my way of using up these green tube fossil beads. I paired them with South Seashell beads. South Sea shell beads are man-made. Mollusk Shells are pulverized to a powder, an iridescent pigment added, and shaped into beads. I thought this was a clever way to transform discarded shells into beads. Fossil beads are formed from limestone, a sedimentary rock which is formed by the skeletons of tiny marine organisms (calcium carbonate). Since limestone is so porous, it is ideal for making into beads since it will easily take on dye. Get a closer look at these pieces on Etsy

Well, that was fun. Now I have to think what to do tomorrow…I am sort of running out of creative steam since I have made so many things in the past little while. But tomorrow is a new day and a new set of thoughts. Until then…

100 Days of Creativity: Day 54

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Another jewelry making blitz afternoon! Let’s get right to it, shall we:

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This chunky fun red agate cuff was a cheat today: I actually made it last spring; and had unlisted it to get new photos of it. I just remembered it today & relisted it. It’s very bold & earthy. Fun!

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This was my favourite piece today. I have had these 36mm onyx tubes for almost a decade! That’s right: one of those “these are neat” purchases and they never seemed to really work the few times I tried to incorporate them into a design. I realized today that simple is better, so I simply paired them with these 6mm stardust beads. The curved design of the pendants hug your wrist. I had six of these, so I made two identical bracelets, both available in my Etsy Shop

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I think as of today I am officially satisfied with exploring with Celtic influence! I have quite a few of these Celtic pewter beads so it’s easy to get many ideas for simply stated pieces. This is a remake of a pair of earrings that sold in this design with hematite. This time, I used faceted smoky quartz & added bead caps for accent.

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Woohoo!  The end of the amethyst chips.  Simple yet fun earrings and that stash is officially used up! 🙂

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These 25mm Celtic braid charms work well as a pendant, too!  With 4mm onyx beads and sterling silver fine cable chain this piece is great for someone who wants a simple, dainty necklace that still makes a statement. I also made the piece full adjustable to a maximum of 20 inches so that it could be worn at variable lengths for variable neck sizes.

With that, I have broken the 90 item mark! So in a couple of days, I should make my goal of 100 pieces.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 53

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Holy crick in the neck!!!  This was a lot of listing…I got in the zone this afternoon and made these 5 pairs of earrings today:

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For the sake of my neck I will try to be brief…I was inspired again by the up-coming St. Patrick’s Day…actually, I was happy to have an opportunity to work with malachite again! I have quite a bit of it and no opportunity to play with it lately. 🙂

I am putting the push on to get my 100 things. I am so close, so I am motivated to just get it done! I do enjoy making earrings when I need volume. It’s like a gratifying creative snack! Once the energy gets flowing I can usually churn out several pars in such a short period of time. They are also easy to photograph so there is not a lot of time editing pictures. Hence, 5 pairs in one afternoon…and afternoon for me with a toddler doesn’t mean the full 4 hours!

A very productive day. For more on malachite & these pieces please visit heavenly flower on Etsy